Q&A Is my product/service a real business?

Hello everyone and welcome. 

Today's question is a little funny, in of course yes my small business SewnbySabrina is a real business. 

But in all seriousness I'm treating this as a 'Is your business a physical storefront somewhere I can come shop at?' type of question. Not a snarky 'is that a real job?' kind of question that a lot of people often get faced with when it comes to having any kind of creative career. 

That being said, yes and no but for now mostly no. Tricky huh? Let me explain. 

When I started my first iteration of my small business The Craftsmen Guild on Etsy back in 2020 I started also getting into the vendor market scene in Amherstburg and Windsor Ontario. Which meant that depending on which events I was a part of I did have a physical location for people to come and shop from me. 
Mostly on weekends and with other small business owners, we would pay a fee to an event's organizer, be assigned or get to pick a space at an indoor or outdoor venue and set up shop for the day. Most of the time there were food vendors, music acts and other events that encouraged large crowds of people to attend. 
However this isn't the case for all the vendor events that I had been a part of in my life, sometimes it was crickets and tumbleweeds. But that is the gamble that we have to accept when we are trying new events. The best we can do is make note of that and if it's a new event maybe give it another try next time and hope that the word got out more. Or go after the events and organizers that are a little bit more well established and you know you'll do better at. 

To get back on point, having a physical location even if it was a few times a month, made it so I was able to build a community and a relationship with clients in my area. It was a chance for people to get to know me and the things I made. I got a nickname after a while 'the scrunchie girl'. My tables were always covered in scrunchies that people could sort through. That and my bright orange table clothes, I made sure people would see me. 
Maybe some would say that my set up was not aesthetically pleasing because it was sometimes a lot to look at and could be overwhelming with the amount of color and choices I had. However, every time I saw someone looking a little flustered I always tried to help, starting a conversation about what they liked and what their style was. Usually after this I had enough to help them find and sort through some scrunchies that they might like. This made things easier and it became a fun thing to look through them. 

As of right now though I am no longer in the Windsor-Essex area and have moved pretty far away to the Saguenay region in Québec, a whole province away. That sometimes feels like a world away... I haven't really found a vendor/market community yet. 
I have big vendor events in Montréal and Québec which are a good drive away from me, but from what I learned in Windsor, I do better at larger events. 
So my goals for 2025 include getting myself in a place where I can make those drives out to those type of opportunities hopefully in 2026. 
Right now business is done online and that's where all of my sales come from for now. Save for the occasional friend that comes over and wants to purchase directly. 

It would be an awesome thing if one day I was able to open a brick and mortar store and sell in person all the time and have the website too. But that's not a goal I'll be checking off the list right now. One day though. 

Let me know what your business is, is it a physical store, an online one, or do you do a bit of both like I've done? Can't wait to read your responses. 

Until next time,
Sabrina 

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